1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to biomedical electrodes, and in particular, to a biomedical electrode connector for attaching a lead wire to an electrocardiogram (ECG) electrode placed on a patient's body.
2. Background of Related Art
Electrocardiograph (ECG) monitors are widely used to obtain medical (i.e. biopotential) signals containing information indicative of the electrical activity associated with the heart and pulmonary system. To obtain medical signals, ECG electrodes are applied to the skin of a patient in various locations. The electrodes, after being positioned on the patient, connect to an ECG monitor by a set of ECG lead wires. The distal end of the ECG lead wire, or portion closest to the patient, may include a connector which is adapted to operably connect to the electrode to receive medical signals from the body. The proximal end of the ECG lead set is operably coupled to the ECG monitor and supplies the medical signals received from the body to the ECG monitor.
A typical ECG electrode assembly may include an electrically conductive layer and a backing layer, the assembly having a patient contact side and a connector side. The contact side of the electrode pad may include biocompatible conductive gel or adhesive for affixing the electrode to a patient's body for facilitating an appropriate electrical connection between a patient's body and the electrode assembly. The connector side of the pad may incorporate a metallic press stud having a bulbous profile for coupling the electrode pad to the ECG lead wire. In use, the clinician removes a protective covering from the electrode side to expose the gel or adhesive, affixes the electrode pad to the patient's body, and attaches the appropriate ECG lead wire connector to the press stud by pressing or “snapping” the lead wire connector onto the bulbous press stud to achieve mechanical and electrical coupling of the electrode and lead wire. After use, a clinician then removes the ECG lead wire connector from the pad by pulling or “unsnapping” the connector from the pad.
The described ECG lead wire connector may have drawbacks. A clinician must apply considerable downward force on the lead wire connector to achieve positive engagement of the connector to the press stud. This high connecting force may cause additional and unnecessary discomfort or pain to the patient, whose existing medical condition may already be a source of discomfort or pain. A patient's discomfort may be compounded by the need to connect multiple electrodes which are customarily employed during ECG procedures.
Upon completion of the ECG procedure, a clinician must unsnap the ECG lead wire connector from the pad, which may further cause discomfort to the patient. In some instances, the connector does not readily disengage from the press stud thus requiring the clinician to use considerable upward force to unseat the connector. Often, these attempts to decouple the ECG lead wire connector from the electrode press stud will instead cause the pad to be suddenly and painfully torn from the patient's skin In other instances, attempts to detach the ECG lead wire will cause the pad to become partially dislodged from the patient, which may impair the electrode's ability to receive biopotential signals. This is undesirable when, for example, the clinician wishes to detach the lead wires temporarily yet wishes to leave the pads in place to perform ECG testing on the patient at a future time.
In yet other instances, a snap lock connector may engage the press stud with insufficient force, which may cause suboptimal signal transmission from the electrode to the lead wire, as well as allowing the connector to be disengaged inadvertently by, for example, a slight tug on the lead wire. These effects are undesirable, because they may invalidate the ECG procedure, requiring time-consuming re-testing of the patient, or may lead to delayed, inaccurate or unreliable test results.
Additionally, the process of snapping and unsnapping lead wire connectors from ECG pads, while simultaneously striving to avoid the above-mentioned adverse effects, requires considerable manual dexterity on the part of the ECG clinician. Since clinicians typically repeat the electrode connection/disconnection routine many times each day, the described drawbacks may lead to clinician discontentment and fatigue.